LAS VEGAS — Shane Slater's wrestling career at Slippery Rock High School was nothing exciting.

“Pretty average, actually, if that,” the 2016 SR graduate said. “I didn't even start wrestling until my freshman year in high school.

“I'm not one of those guys who has bled wrestling since third grade.”

What he will be doing is wrestling for a National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) national championship at 197 pounds March 14-16 in Allen, Texas.

Slater is a junior at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, majoring in accounting with a minor in marketing. He did not wrestle during his junior year in high school and posted a 20-13 record as a senior, getting as far as the regional tournament.

But when he left for UNLV, he figured his wrestling career was over.

“I tried walking on the football team as a punter,” said Slater, who made all region as a guard and defensive end as a three-year starter at Slippery Rock. “When I filled out my application as a walk-on, I must have mentioned that I wrestled in high school.”

UNLV does not have a university-sanctioned or funded wrestling program. The NCWA is for collegiate wrestling teams that run their own programs.

Slater didn't wrestle at all his freshman year. He was approached that season by coaches asking him to try out for the team.

“I didn't know anything about it, but it interested me,” Slater said. “This sport is dying at the college level and I liked the idea of getting back on the mat. I felt I was getting better at the sport as my high school career ended.”

Slater did excel in freestyle wrestling in high school, placing fourth in Pennsylvania one year.

He suffered a broken ankle three days into his sophomore season — his first with UNLV wrestling — and missed the entire season.

This year, he is 12-7 and qualified for the NCWA Nationals by placing among the top three in his weight class at the Mountain West Regional. Slater took second, dropping a 6-3 decision in the finals to Alex Ledesma of Sacramento State.

“I got him on his back and thought I pinned him to win the region,” Slater said. “I pinned him early in the third period, but there was a problem with the clock. They said it never started, so we had to start the period over again and I lost by decision.

“That was pretty frusttrating.”

Still, he enters the national tournament ranked 13th in the country in his weight class.

“Shane has been a great addition to UNLV wrestling,” coach James Downing said. “He's got a strong work ethic — as do most kids on this team, — and he does a great job of keeping the room light.

“Wrestling can be a stressful sport and Shane is the guy who keeps everybody loose in there.”

All 10 UNLV wrestlers have qualified for NCWA Nationals. The team, in only its second year of existence, won the Mountain West Region this season.

Liberty (Va.) is the top-ranked NWCA program in the country. UNLV wrestled Liberty in a dual and won the match in terms of head-to-head competition.

“We wound up losing because we had to forfeit a couple of weight classes,” Downing said. “We have a bunch of guys who were anxious to get back on the mat and extend their careers,” Downing said. “Shane is one of them.”

Slater is the only wrestler on the UNLV team from the eastern side of the country. The team also has a wrestler from Illinois, but everyone else is from out west.

“Pennsylvania is such a great wrestling state,” Slater said. “I know that's helped me. Our style back east is so much different from wrestlers out west.

“We do some wrestling work with little kids and the coach always introduces me as 'that unique wrestler from Pennsylvania.'”

He said he went to Las Vegas “because everyone who knew me in high school knew I was gonna leave the small town for a bigger opportunity.

“My parents took a trip to Vegas and took my brother and I along. While I was out there, I checked out the campus, got acquainted with people and loved it.

“I figured I'd meet a lot of people, make important contacts if I went to school out there and I was right,” Slater added.

Now he believes he can add a national championship to his collegiate experience.

“Skill-wise, I don't think there's anybody I can't beat,” Slater said. “I had to get myself in better condition to stay with opponents for three periods and I've done that.

“Now it's up to me to perform. I can't wait.”